Review: You're Not Pretty Enough by Jennifer Tress

Title: You're Not Pretty Enough
Author: Jennifer Tress
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Self-published
Publish Date: August 6, 2013
Source: I received a copy from the PR; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a memoir fan.
• You want to laugh and cry!

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "You’re Not Pretty Enough is like Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened meets Cheryl Strayed’s Dear Sugar. From the “Sex Papers” Jen drew as a four-year-old when her mom was pregnant with her younger sister, to her sole teenage act of rebellion: going to church. “We’re very disappointed in you,” her nonreligious parents said. When she was sixteen Jennifer fell in love with Jon Bon Jovi and felt certain that if he just met her, he’d feel exactly the same way. They met all right. But that’s not what happened.

At twenty-three Jen married her college sweetheart and divorced him at twenty-six after he’d had an affair. Affairs happen every day. What doesn’t happen every day? The wife and the girlfriend meeting at a bar, discovering they liked each other, and then confronting Jen’s husband that same night.

The true stories contained here are smart, uproarious and utterly relatable. Told chronologically and chock full of truths, You’re Not Pretty Enough provides an example of how to be comfortable in your own skin and ultimately live a full life (even if you screw up, royally, along the way)."

My Two Cents:

"You're Not Pretty Enough" is a memoir by Jennifer Tress. The book is broken up in different stories from her life. Some of the stories are very, very funny (like the time when she met Jon Bon Jovi and was absolutely enamored with him and oh, they happened to have the same haircut). Some of the stories are very sad (such as the one about her divorce where her husband actually tells Jennifer that she is not pretty enough). This book is a great pick for those looking for a memoir that covers the gamut of emotions.

I love books that can make me feel a lot of different emotions. I want to laugh out loud. I want to tear up. I definitely got that with this book. Ms. Tress writes incredibly candidly about all of these different stories from her life. Even in the more serious essays on her life, Tress shows that having a sense of humor about things will truly get you far. I liked some of the stories better than others but all in all, most of the essays are pretty solid!

I was especially touched by the story of Tress' divorce and some of the horrible things her ex-husband said to her up to and during the divorce. Just the thought of anyone hearing "you're not pretty enough" from someone makes my stomach drop. No one should have to hear for such hurtful words. Tress realized that and has made it her mission to talk about her experiences in order to potentially help others, which is a cause I can totally get behind!